The Japanese Political Economy: A Crisis in Theory [Abstract]

Ethics & International Affairs, Volume 2 (1988)

Late 1980s economic theory failed to account for Japanese-style economies.
Leading thinkers ignored the success and achievements of these systems by
passing them off as exceptions due to "cultural uniqueness," or by altering the
facts to fit their theories. Chalmers Johnson argues that the success of the
Japanese economy is neither random nor a function of culture but due to policy,
particularly to Japanese industrial policy.